


Show Don't Tell

by Ephemera_pop (Alex_Draven)



Category: Backstreet Boys, Popslash
Genre: M/M, Secret Santa, Tattoos, mtyg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-25
Updated: 2007-12-25
Packaged: 2018-10-19 15:41:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10642926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alex_Draven/pseuds/Ephemera_pop
Summary: Vancouver - the final night of the tour - had been incredible, and the party that followed had been … Well, if he was honest, Brian was a little fuzzy about some of the details. They'd really let rip, celebrating the completion of their first ever proper headline tour, and knowing there was vacation on the horizon.Of course, Brian had spent most of the first day of his time off trying to sleep his way through his hangover, and now the car was driving them to the airport, he couldn't focus on the conversation Kevin was having with the driver. He was staring out of the window, not really seeing the buildings marching past, and thinking about something AJ had said."Hey, Rok. You and me, man. When I get back, yeah. When I get back, I gotta get you and me alone. Got something …"AJ'd been drunk - they'd all been drunk - and the words had slid away, AJ's arm heavy across his shoulders, AJ's breath on his face, AJ's mouth burning briefly against his cheek.And then people had come over, Kevin joining the group with a holler, and Brian had tipped his head back to find Nick grinning down at him, and the night had gone on.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Jes, for make the Yuletide Gay, 2007

Vancouver - the final night of the tour - had been incredible, and the party that followed had been … Well, if he was honest, Brian was a little fuzzy about some of the details. They'd really let rip, celebrating the completion of their first ever proper headline tour, and knowing there was vacation on the horizon.

Of course, Brian had spent most of the first day of his time off trying to sleep his way through his hangover, and now the car was driving them to the airport, he couldn't focus on the conversation Kevin was having with the driver. He was staring out of the window, not really seeing the buildings marching past, and thinking about something AJ had said.

_"Hey, Rok. You and me, man. When I get back, yeah. When I get back, I gotta get you and me alone. Got something …"_

AJ'd been drunk - they'd all been drunk - and the words had slid away, AJ's arm heavy across his shoulders, AJ's breath on his face, AJ's mouth burning briefly against his cheek.

And then people had come over, Kevin joining the group with a holler, and Brian had tipped his head back to find Nick grinning down at him, and the night had gone on.

He hadn't even thought to think about what AJ might have meant until the next day.

He wasn't sure what AJ might have meant.

He wasn't sure but, when he let himself hope, there was a sensation in his stomach that couldn't be chalked up to overindulgence.

He couldn't ask because AJ's plane had already left for Jamaica by the time it had occurred to Brian that there was anything to ask. It wasn't a conversation he wanted to have on the phone, especially not when he was going to be surrounded by family for the next ten days, especially not when he wasn't sure if he did know, or if he was totally in the wrong ball park.

After all, not a lot of people knew that he was bi.

*****

Howie and Nick had been in Orlando all along, and he and Kevin flew in together the night before they were due in the studio. AJ had had a red-eye flight, though, so he missed out on an evening's worth of stupid jokes and reconnecting, and was waiting for them in the compound's parking lot, clutching a tall travel mug. He looked simultaneously exhausted and energised, dark circles under his eyes contrasting with the glow of tan on his cheekbones and the way he grinned and straightened up when Kevin's car turned into the lot.

Nick was the first one out of the car, sweeping AJ up into a spinning hug, as though it'd been years since they'd all been together, not less than two weeks. The rest of them piled in a few seconds later, and Brian was smiling as widely as anyone as they tumbled into reception, talking over each other to ask AJ questions, and catch him up on anything and everything that had happened while he was gone.

They were all all over each other, Kevin ruffling Nick's hair, arms around shoulders, elbows nudging, and then AJ's hand closed on Brian's upper arm and tugged him closer.

"Good to see you, man," AJ half whispered, and then carried on at a more normal volume. "You should have come with me - surf, sand, sangria …" AJ smiled, and Brian couldn't help but smile back.

"Boys!" a voice called from the top of the stairs, and all five of them quietened down, getting ready to go to work.

*****

The morning session was all rehearsal, working on the arrangements, making sure everyone was as smooth as possible before they started clocking up recording time. It still didn’t seem real sometimes, that this was his job - standing in a half-circle with guys who were closer to him than anyone he'd grown up with, blending their voices until the air between them vibrated with their music.

Still, the session was a lot of singing, and by the time the powers that be called a break, Brian was drier than a dog with its head out the window on a desert drive. He made for the small kitchenette around the corner from the rehearsal room, and had a bottle of water out of the fridge and the cap in his hand when AJ swung into the room.

"Hey," AJ said, standing in the doorway, and then glanced back over his shoulder.

"Water?" Brian offered.

"They got a coke in there?"

"You sure carbonate-"

"Dude. Caffeine. Yeah, I'm sure."

"So long as they don't yell at me for aiding and abetting." Brian gave in with a wry smile. He hadn't really expected anything else.

"Your secret's safe with me," AJ assured him, and then, taking the offered can and resting his finger tips on Brian's, leaned in and said "You want come and crash at my place tonight?"

Brian froze for a second, the memory of AJ's lips brushing against his cheek flashing through his mind. He had been right about AJ, then. His stomach clenched.

"I kind of want to …" AJ continued, and then both of them jumped as Howie appeared and smacked AJ on the back.

"Drink?" Howie asked, leaning over AJ to stretch out one hand towards the fridge. AJ grunted and shoved, lifting Howie off his feet, while Brian rolled his eyes, and pulled a second bottle of water out of the fridge, and dangled it a few inches away from Howie's hand.

"What do you say?" Brian took refuge in familiar teasing while his brain struggled to switch gears again.

"Drink, please," Howie sighed, and AJ straightened up, letting Howie slip back to the ground.

"That's more like it." Brian handed over the bottle and dodged the ineffectual swat Howie aimed at him.

"No respect for your elders," Howie grumbled, with a smile.

"Nope, none at all," AJ agreed, then gulped down his soda and belched resoundingly.

*****

Brian caught hold of AJ's elbow as they headed out to lunch, letting Kevin stride past them.

"You still want me to come over tonight?"

"Yo, Bone," Nick yelled down the corridor. "Can I drive?"

"Hell yeah," AJ hissed in reply to Brian's question. "The others are going to keep walking in on us otherwise."

Then he turned to yell at Nick. "No way! Not even when you pass your test am I letting you drive my baby."

"Okay," said Brian.

AJ flashed him a grin before racing off down the corridor to yell at Nick from closer too.

Regardless of what he'd said, what Brian was thinking was mostly 'oh'.

*****

Following AJ's car back to his mom's house, Brian's stomach was full of butterflies. Worse than going to a showcase, or an interview. He knew what he was doing on stage: this was totally different. He still didn't know how AJ had guessed, for one thing, let alone what the etiquette was for getting it on with your same-sex band member and good friend, in the family home. For getting it on with anyone male, really.

He thought briefly about how his own mom might react, and then rapidly decided that that was a bad train of thought to be boarding at this stage. Really, very very few people knew he thought about men sometimes, and his parents were not on the list.

*****

"Finally!" AJ seemed really relieved to have finished up family dinner and dragged Brian up to the bedroom. AJ leaned back against the closed door, and smiled across the cluttered room. "I've been trying to do this since the end of the tour. I mean - Nick's too young, really - I don't want to give him ideas - and both Kev and Howie would pitch a fit …"

As he spoke, AJ's hands went to his waistband, undoing his belt buckle. "I had no idea it would be this hard to get you alone."

Brian swallowed.

Popping the top button of his jeans, AJ tugged his t-shirts free and pulled them. He hesitated for a second, and then pulled them up over his head in a smooth movement.

Brian swallowed again. His heart was racing. This was really happening. He hadn't quite believed it, but this couldn't be anything but a seduction: a typically AJ seduction, direct assault, short on subtlety, long on hitting the mark.

AJ went for the zipper of his jeans.

Desperate both to slow things down, and to get the anticipation over with, Brian lunged, pushing AJ back against the door with a thump, and blindly trying to land a kiss.

There was a split second where AJ's mouth was there, off-centre, hot and soft against the contrasting stubble, and then AJ's hands shoved against his chest. Brian stumbled back.

"What were-"

"I thought-"

They spoke over each other, and then both stopped.

"Bri?" AJ's voice was carefully level, and AJ's hand fluttered briefly against Brian's shoulder. "Did you just try and kiss me?"

Brian could feel his cheeks burning, but he nodded all the same. "You were stripping!" he protested a beat later. "I thought-"

"Shit, man, you thought I was hitting on you? Dude - I just wanted to show you my tattoo!"

"Your - you have a tattoo?" Brian asked, dumbly. "A tattoo which requires naked?"

"Yeah, I finally got my first ink done, to celebrate the tour, but, dude, not the point … you thought I was hitting on you, and you were okay with that?"

"I, um. Yes?"

AJ's grin was almost terrifying. "Oh, man." AJ breathed. "Brian, dude, I had no idea. I always wanted … Really?"

Brian managed a jerky nod. It really was too late to pretend it was a joke or something, and the way his heart was jumping, he definitely couldn't pretend that he didn't want to find out what some of his fantasies might be like in reality.

"Oh, man," AJ repeated, this time running fingers over Brian's arm a little more firmly, the touch making Brian's skin goose-bump through his thin shirt. "We can …"

AJ's voice trailed off and then he smiled, and when he spoke again his voice was deeper, like gravel and honey. "Kiss me, Brian."

Brian couldn't help himself, and snorted in sudden laughter. "Drop the voice, and I will," he said. The words came unexpectedly fluently.

"Bri," AJ said, voice totally serious now, those rich, dark eyes looking into his own from mere inches. "Please?"

Brian lifted his head, and closed his eyes, and AJ's lips brushed his, once, then again, and then settled more firmly.

AJ moaned quietly, and somehow Brian's hands found their way to AJ's shoulders, one hand cupping the back of AJ's head, the other clinging to AJ, holding him close, feeling heat and muscles and bare skin. His tongue dabbed carefully at AJ's lips, and AJ melted into him, mouth opening with sweet heat, and it was almost too good to be true, kissing with AJ's hands roaming over his back, and AJ's tongue dancing with his, and AJ breathing through him, and him through AJ, and his head was spinning.

AJ moved him, turning them both, and backing them up with tangled steps until AJ's bed pushed up against Brian's knees. AJ let go of him with a throaty growl, and Brian flopped back onto the bed, breathless and disoriented. AJ didn't give him time to recover, crawling up onto the bed, straddling him, bare chested, jeans gaping, denim straining over muscled thighs.

Brian had to reach up and touch, tentative fingertips taking in the curve of a pectoral. AJ 's voice hitched, trying to say his name, and Brian's eyes closed as he bit his lip and tried not to embarrass himself. His hand moved down, over the ridges of ribs, the shallow dip of AJ's waist, before getting caught on AJ's belt loops. AJ wriggled, and the jeans dropped a little further, leaving just soft cotton jersey between his hand and AJ's narrow butt. His mouth was dry, and much as he wanted to watch, he couldn't seem to open his eyes.

AJ's mouth came down on his neck, sucking lightly, moving restlessly as he tilted his head back, begged wordlessly for more. He wanted to groan and pant and scream AJ's name, but about the only thing he could remember was that he didn't want Denise to come up to find out what was causing a racket, so he swallowed down the noises, and ran his hands over AJ's back, pulling AJ closer to him. AJ kissed the skin above Brian's shirt, and then tugged at it, finger clumsy on the buttons.

Then AJ slithered away, and those same persistent hands were pulling at his jeans.

All the blood in his body had to be either in his cock or his cheeks, and none of it was getting to his brain, leaving him running on instinct alone, and instinct was all in favour of giving AJ anything AJ wanted, so Brian arched, and his pants were pulled away, together with his underwear.

"Jesus," AJ whispered, and then, more firmly, "This is okay, yeah? This is okay."

Brian nodded, scrubbing his head against the mattress, beyond words, because AJ's hands were right there, dragging across his balls, wrapping around his cock, and Brian's skull was going to explode, trying to process all the sensations. He hadn't know to imagine that it would be this different, that it would be this much.

And then AJ swallowed him into incredible heat, and the overload was complete.

Brian's hands twisted in the blankets of AJ's bed, his breath coming in ragged gasps as AJ's hands and tongue sent spikes of fire and pleasure through him. He'd lost track of what was where, which movement it was that made his muscles clench and the feelings spike, beyond any thought more complicated than 'he' and 'good' and 'please'.

Even those simple words were beyond him when his orgasm cramped low in his belly, balls drawing up, a soundless scream freezing his lungs.

One of AJ's hands moved to his hip, riding out the motion, giving him something to ground to, something to focus on as the overwhelming electricity ebbed, taking with it the last remnants of coherent thought. AJ's mouth was moving on his cock, sending little prickly jolts through him, overwrought nerves no longer sure if they were pain or pleasure.

Then there was a moment of chill and the bed rolled under him as AJ scooted up, settled against his side, one heavy arm resting over Brian's stomach, breath hot and cold against his shoulder.

Heavy-limbed, Brian fumbled his hand into place, resting over AJ's, and then let sleep carry him off.

*****

In the soft light of morning, filtered through the curtains, AJ's sleeping body was truly beautiful. Brian wasn't completely sure if it was okay for him to be sitting here, perched on the edge of AJ's bed, admiring AJ's body while watching his friend sleep, but the habitual twist of guilt that accompanied the thought wasn't enough to stop him.

That, and he couldn't see the tattoo that had lead to this new, confusing, fantastic state of being.

AJ was sprawled out on his front, one leg bent, one arm trailing over the edge of the bed where Brian had slipped free of it, leaving AJ to slump forward. He was all elegant bone and wiry muscle, smooth skin; a tan line from the Jamaica sun served only to highlight the sharp angle of his hip, the shadows that concealed his groin.

Brian had hardly registered himself tensing when AJ stirred before AJ's hand had been dragged down the bed, and settled on his thigh, AJ's thumb stroking absently over his knee. Still half asleep, AJ smiled softly.

Brian took a deep breath, and realised that he was smiling too.

*****

The tattoo was high on AJ's thigh, the top edge of the shaded black 'brushstroke' touching the crease where leg met body, the skin still shiny from the ink. The symbol meant 'success and fellowship', apparently. Brian wasn't sure if he trusted guys who worked in tattoo parlours to know the finer points of Japanese calligraphy, but the image, this delicate collection of lines drawn in AJ's creamy skin, was irresistible. He'd reached out to touch as soon as AJ had moved his leg to demonstrate, and then hesitated, his fingertips hovering fractionally above the delicate exposed skin, able to feel the heat radiating from AJ, but waiting for permission.

"Go ahead," AJ said.

"Did it hurt?" Brian asked, drawing one finger carefully around the edge, almost expecting to be able to feel a difference between inked skin and natural skin.

"Kind of. Not as much as I was expecting though: I just kind of zoned out. Worse after, actually. You should have seen me getting off the plane last week - I was walking like someone had kicked me in the balls."

Brian leaned forward to brush a careful kiss on the patch of skin.

AJ shivered, hand tightening on Brian's shoulder.

Something about being able to make AJ react like that - open, and vulnerable, and hungry - made Brian take a sharp breath himself.

"Worth it?" he asked, addressing AJ's smooth stomach, then lowering his face for a second kiss, this time touching the tip of his tongue to the tattooed skin.

AJ gasped, and breathed his answer. "Oh, yeah."


End file.
